| | | | | |  | | By Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Eugene Daniels and Tara Palmeri | Presented by |  | | | | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | IF YOU READ ONE THING — GARRETT GRAFF'S oral history of the bin Laden raid: "'Congratulations, You Killed Osama bin Laden': How the hunt for the world's most notorious terrorist actually went down—as told by the people inside the room." EXCLUSIVE: MCCONNELL LEANS INTO THE CULTURE WARS — Senate Minority Leader MITCH MCCONNELL and 37 GOP senators will call on the Education Department today to stop a proposed rule that invokes the 1619 Project — the latest turn in the culture wars. The Biden administration — citing the ongoing reckoning over race and the disproportionate effects of the pandemic on African Americans — has proposed updating American history curricula to more fully flesh out the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans.
The lightning rod for Republicans? That the proposal specifically mentions the 1619 Project, which several prominent historians have criticized — particularly its suggestion that the American Revolution was fought to secure slavery. In a letter, McConnell and the other senators will blast the administration for putting "ill-informed advocacy ahead of historical accuracy." "Americans do not need or want their tax dollars diverted from promoting the principles that unite our nation toward promoting radical ideologies meant to divide us," the letter reads. "Americans never decided our children should be taught that our country is inherently evil." The missive comes as former President DONALD TRUMP on Thursday called for McConnell to be replaced as leader. That won't happen, of course, but the Kentucky Republican no doubt is looking to throw some red meat to the base. McConnell has been warning that "woke ideology" is taking over corporations, Hollywood — and now the education system. And Republicans generally think these issues could help them win the House and Senate in 2022. The letter IT'S NOT JUST CONSERVATIVES: The proposed rule has also triggered a more muted debate on the left. While it has largely skirted the attention of the mainstream media (National Review and the New York Post have pounced on it), several sources told us about conversations among a group of prominent liberal political strategists, academics and authors about whether to go public with their own criticisms. One of them already has: DAMON LINKER, a centrist columnist at TheWeek.com, posted a public comment in the Federal Register, calling the 1619 Project a "one-sided and dogmatic style of history" that "can be part of a curriculum, but NOT its core. Please, don't do this. We will all regret it." FINAL THOUGHT: The anti-1619 sentiment is uniting one of the oddest coalitions in politics: McConnell conservatives, Linker-style centrists and anti-woke socialists. TGIF. Thanks for reading Playbook, where we don't follow any rules. Drop us a line: Rachael Bade, Eugene Daniels, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri. | | A message from American Edge Project: Technology is vital to America's small businesses.
Policymakers must work to promote policies that protect America's technological edge to ensure our entrepreneurs can lead U.S. economic recovery and growth, and lead the world in innovation.
Read more from Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | RED, FRESH & BLUE — In the final installment of the video series, EUGENE sat down with first-term Democratic Sen. ALEX PADILLA, the first Latino to represent California in the Senate. After VP KAMALA HARRIS resigned her seat to start her term, Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM chose Padilla to succeed her. Padilla discussed his dramatic first three months in Washington, from the Jan. 6 riot to impeachment, as well as immigration reform and his push to get rid of the filibuster. | 
| "Look, you want to work on a bipartisan basis, I'm not against that. That's the ideal scenario. [But] those of us who already agree we need to get rid of the filibuster continue to be vocal about it, keep it a public priority," Padilla said. FRIDAY LISTEN … MTG IS MINTING MONEY: In today's episode of our new podcast, "Playbook Deep Dive," we take a look at how Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-Ga.) has made a name for herself — and recently, more than $3.2 million in mostly individual donations in three months — by oiling gears in the "outrage machine," promoting extremist beliefs and false conspiracy theories, and bypassing both establishment media and establishment Washington. | 
| This week, we talked to Rep. ADAM KINZINGER (R-Ill.) and reporters MELANIE ZANONA, MICHAEL KRUSE, CHARLIE MAHTESIAN and RYAN about what Greene's rise reveals about the erosion of traditional gatekeepers and the increasing nationalization of local races. | | | | A message from American Edge Project:   Read more from Karen Kerrigan , president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | BIDEN'S FRIDAY — President JOE BIDEN will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10 a.m. First lady JILL BIDEN will participate in an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. on the North Grounds. They'll depart the White House for Joint Base Andrews en route to Philadelphia at 12:25 p.m. Biden will deliver remarks at an event for Amtrak's 50th anniversary at Philadelphia's 30th Street Station at 2:30 p.m. They'll depart Philadelphia en route to Wilmington, Del., at 3:40 p.m. — Harris will depart D.C. en route to Cincinnati at 10 a.m. She'll participate in a roundtable discussion on the administration's investments in public transit at 12:20 p.m. She will depart to return to D.C. at 3:50 p.m. — The White House Covid-19 response team and public health officials will brief at 11 a.m. Press secretary JEN PSAKI will gaggle on Air Force One on the way to Philadelphia. THE HOUSE and THE SENATE are out. | | | | JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION, SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST": Power is shifting in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. "The Recast" is a twice-weekly newsletter that explores the changing power dynamics in Washington and breaks down how race and identity are recasting politics and policy across America. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO OF THE DAY: President Joe Biden picks a dandelion for first lady Jill Biden on the Ellipse near the White House on Thursday. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | BIDEN RATINGS BUST — "Joe Biden's Address To Congress Snares 26.9M Viewers; Way Down From Trump," Deadline: "An estimated 26.9 million people watched the president's address across 16 broadcast and cable networks, according to Nielsen figures released this afternoon. That's a steep drop from the 47.7 million who watched Donald Trump's first speech to a joint session on February 28, 2017. Nielsen reported that the bulk of Biden's audience — 18.5 million — were 55 and older." — Political scientist MATT GROSSMAN: "More evidence Biden is lowering salience of presidency & politics." THE PRESIDENT'S NEXT PANDEMIC CHALLENGE — "Why Biden's next 100 days are pivotal for the Covid fight," by Joanne Kenen and Dan Goldberg: "Containment, not eradication, is the most realistic goal: Public health experts say the coronavirus is here for the long-haul. Now, the challenge for Biden, his response team and state health officials will be managing the rolling series of outbreaks possibly driven by more dangerous virus variants, while avoiding the wishful thinking of the Trump administration, which downplayed the disease's lethality. … "In the best-case scenario, public trust in the shots will keep rising, particularly among the most vulnerable, including minority groups the administration seeks to reach. Federal, state and local public health officials will quickly deploy expanded tools like rapid testing, wastewater surveillance and contact tracing to spot and contain new outbreaks before they spark a wider surge." IMMIGRATION FILES — "Biden Officials Are Considering A Process To Allow Some 'Vulnerable' Immigrants To Avoid Trump-Era Border Restrictions," BuzzFeed: "The plan, which has not been finalized, would create a system to potentially grow what's already been happening on the southern border: immigrants receiving exceptions to the turn-back policy. The plan comes amid a chorus of criticism levied toward President Joe Biden for continuing a policy that has led to tens of thousands of immigrants being expelled at the southern border, including those who fled their home countries and are seeking protection. "Despite the considerations, Department of Homeland Security officials are expected to still turn around the vast majority of immigrants at the border." CONGRESS MUST-READ — NYT'S CARL HULSE on Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER: "Joe Biden Has the Vision. Now Chuck Schumer Has to Bring It to Life." NOT A GREAT SIGN FOR POLITICS WHEN THIS NEEDS TO BE SAID: Rep. @Liz_Cheney (R-Wyo.): "I disagree strongly w/@JoeBiden policies, but when the President reaches out to greet me in the chamber of the US House of Representatives, I will always respond in a civil, respectful & dignified way. We're different political parties. We're not sworn enemies. We're Americans." THE RESPONSE TO THE GOP'S RESPONSE — "Sen. Tim Scott's comments on race ignite a fiery debate," WaPo THIS SHOULD BE, UM, INTERESTING — "Gaetz, Greene plan national tour to call out RINOs," by Marc Caputo: "Together, they plan to attack Democrats and call out Republicans they deem as insufficiently loyal to former President Donald Trump, such as the 10 GOP House members who voted for his second impeachment after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. "Gaetz and Greene will kick off their barnstorming 'America First Tour' on May 7 in the mega-conservative Florida retirement community known as The Villages, a must-stop for any Republican candidate hoping to win the state or generate grassroots excitement. The idea is to send a message from the two controversial Republicans: They're not canceled, they're not going to be quiet and the infamy their critics attribute to them is translatable as fame and power in the conservative movement." BUT, BUT, BUT: Gaetz's not entirely credible ex-friend seems to be dishing on him and ROGER STONE. When you make it through the Daily Beastian hype surrounding this piece, the news here — as in what's actually new — is about the pardon-for-dollars scheme Greenberg accuses Stone of running. USING THE C-WORD — "Mark Kelly bucks Biden on the border," by Burgess Everett: "The Arizona Democratic senator sounded a rare note of criticism after Biden's Wednesday night address to Congress, asking the president for more federal resources at the border and calling the influx of migrants coming into his state a 'crisis' — language that Biden's White House is resisting. In his characteristically low-key way, Kelly didn't back down Thursday from his knock on Biden for omitting a detailed plan for the border and his vow to 'continue holding this administration accountable.' … "Though Kelly's home state shifted toward Democrats during the presidency of Donald Trump, the GOP is using Biden's handling of the border in an effort to hobble the former astronaut's reelection campaign next year. Gearing up to try to take back a Senate seat in Kelly's once reliably red state, Republicans are already criticizing him for not being a more aggressive check on Biden. But the Arizonan says that's exactly what he's doing." | | | | A message from American Edge Project:   Read more from Karen Kerrigan , president and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. | | | THE RUDY RAID RUDY AND OAN WERE WARNED: "FBI warned Giuliani, key Trump ally in Senate of Russian disinformation campaign targeting Biden," WaPo: "The FBI warned RUDOLPH W. GIULIANI in late 2019 that he was the target of a Russian influence operation aimed at circulating falsehoods intended to damage President Biden politically ahead of last year's election, according to people familiar with the matter. "The warning was part of an extensive effort by the bureau to alert members of Congress and at least one conservative media outlet, One America News, that they faced a risk of being used to further Russia's attempt to influence the election's outcome, said several current and former U.S. officials." NOT FARA ENOUGH? — "Giuliani: 'I never, ever represented a foreign national,'" by Benjamin Din: "Giuliani on Thursday denied any allegations that he represented a Ukrainian national, a day after the FBI seized materials from Giuliani as part of an investigation that seems to focus on his work with Ukrainian officials and operatives. … He said his contracts contain a clause that indicates he will not participate in lobbying or foreign representation, something that he said would be 'too compromising.'" MORE — "Firing of U.S. Ambassador Is at Center of Giuliani Investigation," NYT: "It was a Pyrrhic victory. Mr. Giuliani's push to oust the ambassador, MARIE L. YOVANOVITCH, not only became a focus of Trump's first impeachment trial, but it has now landed Mr. Giuliani in the cross hairs of a federal criminal investigation into whether he broke lobbying laws, according to people with knowledge of the matter. "The long-running inquiry reached a turning point this week when F.B.I. agents seized telephones and computers from Mr. Giuliani's home and office in Manhattan, the people said. At least one of the warrants was seeking evidence related to Ms. Yovanovitch and her role as ambassador, the people said." AMERICA AND THE WORLD COMING ATTRACTIONS — "Biden will meet with South Korea's president on May 21," NYT: "President Biden will meet with President MOON JAE-IN of South Korea in Washington on May 21, the White House announced on Thursday." AND GOING ATTRACTIONS — "Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he'll visit Ukraine next week," CBS: "Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN says Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN has pulled back in the last few days some of the more than 100,000 troops he's amassed at the Ukrainian border, with Blinken visiting Ukraine next week. See the interview, Sunday on 60 Minutes." WATCH: Masks and Justin Trudeau's shirt are coming off: This week TARA and EUGENE watch Canadian PM JUSTIN TRUDEAU receive his vaccination, which has become the meme of the week. They also offer their commentary on TUCKER CARLSON'S confusing rant encouraging his viewers to harass people wearing masks, and what ANTHONY FAUCI thinks of the Fox News anchor's monologue. | 
| POLITICS ROUNDUP SPECIAL ELECTION ON SATURDAY — "Texas special election poses test for anti-Trump Republicans," AP/Mansfield: "There are 10 Republicans among 23 candidates on the ballot, and with the exception of [MICHAEL] WOOD, they are all desperate to win over Trump and his supporters. … Wood estimated that such voters may represent as many as 35% of those who decide Saturday's special election. Sympathetic strategists suggest the number is probably much lower. That's not to say there aren't warning signs for Trump and his supporters. "Trump won the north Texas district by double digits in 2016, but by just 3 points last fall, reflecting the trend of Texas' booming suburbs shifting to purple and, in some places, outright blue. … For their part, there are 10 Democrats running in the special election. But after high expectations and heavy spending failed to produce a single significant victory last year, the national party is largely steering clear of the race." — "Trump crashes final days of Texas special election," by Ally Mutnick RECALL ME MAYBE — "Caitlyn Jenner's recall campaign goes silent in first week," by Carla Marinucci: "The reality TV star and transgender activist hasn't made a single TV appearance. She hasn't held a press conference or social media event. No rollout of key Republican endorsements. She doesn't have an issues page on her website, but offers ways to 'donate' and buy 'Caitlyn for California' merchandise. "'If she doesn't come out and say something within the next several days, I think everyone moves on and says this is just some type of crank candidacy,' said veteran GOP consultant ROB STUTZMAN … So far, Jenner has focused most of her efforts nationally rather than in California." More for Pros TV TONIGHT — PBS' "Washington Week," guest-moderated by Rachel Scott: Geoff Bennett, Lisa Desjardins, Jonathan Martin and Ashley Parker. SUNDAY SO FAR … | ABC | "This Week": Adm. Mike Mullen … Jeffrey Gettleman … Ashish Jha. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Rachel Scott and Audie Cornish. | CBS | "Face the Nation": White House chief of staff Ron Klain … Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) … Scott Gottlieb. | CNN | "State of the Union": Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Panel: Dana Perino, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Harold Ford Jr. Power Player: Chloe Mitchell. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press": Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) … House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). | MSNBC | "The Sunday Show": Deval Patrick … Melanie Campbell … Alphonso David … Mara Keisling … Sophia Nelson … Margaret Sullivan. | NBC | "Meet the Press": Panel: Yamiche Alcindor, Lanhee Chen, Kasie Hunt and Claire McCaskill. | | | | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: The Biden administration is approaching 100 days in office. What tactics and strategies are being debated in West Wing offices? What's really being talked about behind the scenes in negotiations with Congress on the infrastructure plan? Add Transition Playbook to your daily reads for details you won't find anywhere else that reveal what's really happening inside the West Wing and across the executive branch. Track the people, policies and power centers of the Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | COMING ATTRACTIONS: In 2012, friend of Playbook Franklin Foer wrote a memorable piece about Washington lies, murder and marriage for the NYT Magazine. That extraordinary true crime story is now a motion picture called "Georgetown." Check out the trailer here CLICKER — Since Jan. 20, veteran photographer Stephen Voss photographed daily life in Washington, D.C., capturing the opening arc of life under Biden's presidency. This is a companion project to a similar series POLITICO ran at the outset of Trump's presidency. Voss' job was to cover both "official Washington" — inauguration celebrations, press conferences, rallies — but also the mundane: crowds in contemplation at the Tidal Basin, a dance party in the street, a recently shuttered barbershop. The audiovisual interactive experience SPOTTED: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on a JetBlue flight from D.C. to Boston on Thursday evening. … Reince Priebus, who was at Mar-a-Lago to see Trump, at the club's end-of-season party. MEDIAWATCH — WaPo's @jeremymbarr: "Kerri Kupec, who served as Bill Barr's DOJ spokesperson and ran comms for the Kavanaugh nomination, will be the Fox News Channel's Washington editor. She will be involved with story selection and will work under the VP of DC news." Fox News' full announcement — Monica Akhtar is now a senior video producer at POLITICO. She most recently was a video producer at WaPo. … Kevin Whitelaw will be Brussels bureau chief for Bloomberg. He currently is their deputy managing editor for U.S. government coverage. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Building Back Better is adding a slate of new senior staff: Danielle Melfi will be executive director, Leah Israel will be development adviser, Rachel Irwin will be director of messaging strategy, Rosemary Boeglin will be deputy director of comms and advocacy, Katie Fricchione will be deputy director of political and advocacy, Rubén Lebrón will be voting rights director, Ari Appel will be climate director, Mairead Cahill will be advocacy operations manager and Marissa Johnson will be special projects and operations manager. TRANSITIONS — Avery Jaffe is now director of North America comms at Mastercard. He most recently was Southern regional press secretary at the DCCC. … Duanne Pearson and Russ Molloy are joining Strategic Health Care. Pearson will be an SVP and previously was VP of advocacy at Premier Inc. Molloy will be a senior adviser and previously was SVP of government relations at Hackensack Meridian Health. … … Kenneth Megan is now manager of policy at the Economic Innovation Group. He previously was an associate director on the Economic Policy Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center. … Tony Tomelden is now executive director of the Capitol Hill Association of Merchants and Professionals. He is the owner of The Pug and Brookland's Finest. … Stephanie Allen is joining the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity as executive director. She previously was director of strategic comms and marketing at Promontory Financial Group, an IBM Company. ENGAGED — Bronwyn Lance, comms director for Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and Russell Rogers, a welding teacher at Ashe County (N.C.) High School, recently got engaged on the Blue Ridge Parkway in their home state of North Carolina. They met in high school and reconnected as friends at their 30-year reunion several years ago. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY: U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres … Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and William Timmons (R-S.C.) … Tina Flournoy … former Rep. Bob Livingston (R-La.) … POLITICO's Luiza Savage and Kedest Tadesse … Time's Brian Bennett … WaPo's Fred Hiatt … Brooke Sammon of Firehouse Strategies … NRCC's Matt Wall … Edelman's Lindsay Walters … cartoonist and illustrator Barry Blitt … Tori Taylor … John Mulligan of Monument Advocacy … Jim Margolis of GMMB … John Gomperts … Virgin Galactic's Taylor (Weeks) Armentrout … Chris Mindnich … Courtney Rice of Nan Whaley's Ohio gubernatorial campaign … Jose Aristimuño … Matt Loffman of PBS NewsHour … Robert Shalett … Zach Mendelovici of Rep. Ken Buck's (R-Colo.) office … Joel Payne … Airbnb's Eric Feldman … New Heights Communications' Ian Moor … CBS' Caitlin Yilek ... Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf … Michael Stroud ... Ali Solis ... Michael Herson of American Defense International ... Rachel Cohen ... Jonathan J. Harsch ... Jonathan Jagoda … Bill Meierling ... Doug Harbrecht ... Joshua A. Levy ... Stone Workman ... Andrea Woods … Lottie Shackelford … Cheryl Hori … Max Glass … Tana Bosshard … former Rep. Bill Clay (D-Mo.) (9-0) … NBC News PR's Liz Kushel … Matt Segneri of Harvard Innovation Labs … Vanity Fair's Joe Hagan … former British Ambassador Kim Darroch Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Mike Zapler and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross. | | A message from American Edge Project: Technology has helped American small businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic.
It has helped small businesses navigate challenges, innovate and remain competitive. Amid COVID-19, there's no doubt that technology has played a central role in the survival of many of our nation's small businesses.
Technology has moved beyond the occasional tool small businesses use to market or advertise; it has become the foundation that powers growth, productivity and innovation.
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